The memo that crossed Lyndon Johnson's desk sounded a disturbing note. Written by an aide who had just returned from a tour of the West and Midwest, it reported that the Great Society has yet to kindle any great enthusiasm in the nation as a whole. "People just aren't going to get excited or go crusading for an antipollution program, for beautifying America, even for bettering its educational standards," warned the aide. Most Americans endorse these goals, he concluded. They just don't get stirred up by them.
The President—who last week added yet...
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